


The Tournament of the Forests

by TwurtleEggy



Category: Ori and the Blind Forest
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:53:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26178301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwurtleEggy/pseuds/TwurtleEggy
Summary: A fighting fic including the ocs of various people within the Seven Forests Fanon created by DanaArt42. Thank you to everyone who gave me permission to include their ocs in this fic.
Kudos: 7





	1. Beginning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kupfermaske](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kupfermaske/gifts), [Cadinthespiritadventurer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cadinthespiritadventurer/gifts), [LordNesquik](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordNesquik/gifts), [RiskoZoSlovenska](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiskoZoSlovenska/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, credit where credit is due. This fic is based off of the Seven Forests Fanon, created by DanaArt42. None of these ocs are mine, and I’d like to thank all of the people that gave me permission to include their ocs in this fic:  
> Shumi is the oc of Kupfermaske  
> Chro and Pamo are the ocs of LordNesquik  
> Cadin and Ipo are the ocs of CT777DICE  
> Reyn, Mali and Rocal are the ocs of AmyXDDD  
> Hiili and Ulen are the ocs of DanaArt42  
> Io and Quoro are the ocs of FoxTrot  
> Tehlan is the oc of 3LitersOfTeaADay  
> Fir is the oc of GoldRusher  
> Fae and Lelu are the ocs of CosmicDreams  
> Lavi and Kama are the ocs of RiskoZoSlovenska  
> Once again, thank you to all the wonderful people who gave me permission to include their ocs in this fic, and I hope I portrayed them well enough.  
> I’d also like to thank RiskoZoSlovenska for all their help with Chapter 3 and Chapter 4! It would have been much worse without their help, so thank you to them!

A gathering of spirits and moki (and a single young dark wolf) stood in a large field before the Spirit Baobab of Kainar, anxiously murmuring among each other. They came from all around the world, yet they were all gathered there for the same purpose: The Tournament of the Forests, a fighting tournament that had been organized by spirits in Kainar in order to try and decide who was the strongest creature in the entire world. This wasn’t the reason the participants had gathered for the tournament though. In order to bring in more competitors, the Kainari had offered the greatest prize they could think of: the winner or winners of the tournament would receive any one thing they wanted, so long as the request was realistic.

Large ropes were being laid out around the group in a square, and as they were finally put into place, a Kainari spirit ran up in front of the group. “May I have your attention please!” The group quickly quieted down, all of the participants turning their attention to the spirit. “The ropes around you mark the boundaries of the arena. We ask that only the participants of whichever match is ongoing be within the bounds of these ropes, and that anyone who wishes to spectate keeps a safe distance from the arena.” The spirit waited a moment before speaking again. “We will announce matches in sets of four, in the order that they will take place. Matches will have two participants, and will start when I shout ‘fight’. A match is over when one participant is incapacitated, forfeits, or falls out of the arena. There will be spirits ready to help heal you after each match.”

“Now, for the first four matches of round one! First up will be Shumi of Niwen against Chro of Hoa, then Reyn of Nibel against Cadin of Niwen, followed by Pamo of Hoa against Hiili of Niwen, and then Mali of Nibel against Io of Altum. We ask that everyone but the first two competitors please exit the arena!” The majority of the crowd and the announcer spirit made their way out of the arena, with only two spirits remaining within the bounds of the ropes.

Shumi backed up, keeping her eyes on her opponent. She possessed a pair of large, round ears, and two uneven horns with a flame hovering between them. She stood at around an average height, and took a battle ready position, prepared to fight. Opposite her stood Chro, who kept a relaxed posture as he backed up. He sported the usual characteristics of Hoan spirits, his twin rounded tails flicking around lazily while he brushed back his fur. Once everyone but the two spirits had left the arena, the announcer spirit cupped their hands around their mouth. 

“Ready... fight!”

Shumi pointed a finger towards Chro, lifted her thumb, and pressed it down. A trail of fire shot out from her flame, traveling along her shoulder and arm before reaching her finger and shooting out a line of light. Chro’s eyes widened in surprise, and he was unable to react in time as he was nailed straight in the chest with the shot.

Shumi went for a second one, but Chro was prepared this time, raising his hands and using his light mirage and summoning a wall to block the shot. He dropped the wall and started running towards Shumi, summoning walls every couple of seconds to block her shots.

Once he was close enough, he summoned a sword and lunged towards her. Shumi dodged left, a spiked ball and chain forming in her hands. She swung back, and the two began a quick melee.

Chro ducked under Shumi’s swing and sweeped his sword towards her legs, which she hopped over. He took the moment of reduced mobility she had to attempt an upwards slash towards her leg, which she batted away with her ball and chain. Shumi landed back on the ground, swinging towards Chro’s lower stomach, which he backed up from, only to take another light shot to the stomach.

He staggered backwards, forming a light wall around himself to try and stop her from reaching him so he could get some time to think. As he took a second to breath, however, he noticed the temperature around him felt like it was quickly rising. The grass behind him suddenly caught fire, and he dropped the light wall with a yelp, only to take three quick shots of light to the face. Chro fell to the ground with a groan, struggling to stand up for a few seconds before sighing. “I forfeit.”

“Shumi of Niwen is the victor, by forfeit of her opponent!” the announcer shouted. “We ask that the competitors leave the arena, and that the next combatants enter.”

There was a round of applause for the two competitors as Shumi helped Chro up, the two beginning to exit the bounds of the arena. “Well fought,” Shumi said. “You are a skilled fighter.”

“Clearly not as skilled as you,” Chro sighed. “Fair’s fair, though. Good fight.”

As they joined the crowd outside of the arena, Reyn and Cadin entered. Cadin wore a cloak, and had blue markings along his body, coloring his extremely puffy fur. He had a confident grin on his face, and entered a battle ready stance. Reyn took an aggressive stance, a scowl along their face. They were a bit taller than average, appearing even more so thanks to their long antennas. Their messy tail whipped around, as they impatiently waited for the fight to start. The announcer spirit looked to the two combatants to make sure they were ready, before cupping their hands around their mouth once more.

“Ready... fight!”

Reyn rushed forwards as fast as they could, charging at Cadin, who whipped up his crossbow, loaded a Spirit Bolt into it and fired. Reyn sidestepped the shot without stopping, and repeated to do so with each bolt Cadin fired at them. Once they were nearly within reach of him, they bent down and scooped up a rock, chucking it at him and forcing him to duck to avoid it.

They took the opportunity to get within reach of Cadin, and uppercutted him in the stomach. He let out a wheeze of pain, and tried to summon his spear, taking a jab at Reyn. He landed a cut against their side, but Reyn ignored the pain and punched him square in the face, sending him tumbling backwards.

Cadin summoned one of his spirit grenades and tossed it at Reyn, who managed to catch it. They threw it back at him, and he bashed it away awkwardly with a yelp, sending it away from both of them to detonate harmlessly.

Reyn rushed Cadin again as he scrambled to his feet, dashing away as quickly as he could. Cadin tried to maneuver around his foe to get back to his crossbow, but as he attempted to dash past them, Reyn jumped at him, grabbing onto his cloak and pulling him to the ground. Cadin spun around and attempted to ditch his cloak, but before he could Reyn leaped forward, grabbing onto him. They scrambled to move, and began to punch him while Cadin tried to block with his arms and find an opening. He was unable to, though, and let out a shout after a minute. “I forfeit!”

“Reyn of Nibel is the victor, by forfeit of their opponent! Please exit the arena, and will the next combatants please enter!”

Reyn growled, but still got off of him, pulling him up as they stood themself. They walked off into the crowd without a word. Cadin exited with a limp in his step, though he quickly received some help in the form of his friend Ipo. “Cadin, are you alright?”

“I’ll be fine,” he grumbled. “Sort of wish they’d at least said something after the fight though.”

“Don’t worry,” Ipo said, “I’ll beat them in the next round!”

Cadin gave her a bright smile as a spirit came over to the two. “I know you will. I believe in you!”

Reyn stood towards the back of the crowd, where a spirit was tending to their wound with Regenerate. One of the other competitors came up to them, and sat down next to them. “...You could have said he fought well.”

“I don’t care,” Reyn said. “I’m not here to have _fun_ Mali. I’m here to win.”

The shorter spirit looked at them with concern clear in their eyes. “I know, but-”

“I’m not going to let Rocal be in pain for any longer Mali.” She looked at them, her heart filling with concern. “I’m going to win, I’m going to ask for the medicine, and then I’m going to go home and cure Rocal. That’s it.” Mali stared at them for a moment, before turning away without a word and walking towards the front of the crowd.


	2. Round One

The next competitors walked into the arena, both preparing for the match. On one side stood Pamo, who held the appearance of a usual Hoan spirit, his twin tails flicking anxiously as he shuffled from hoof to hoof nervously. Across from him stood Hiili, a moki with dark fur, pointy ears and a tuft of fur on top of her head. She smoothed the tuft back with one hand, her other hand holding an imposing looking bush hook. The blade of the hook had been dulled down slightly to stop too serious injuries from occurring, but that failed to take much away from the threatening presence it possessed. The announcer spirit cupped their hands around their mouth as Hiili and Pamo both entered fighting stances.

“Ready… fight!”

Hiili charged forward, a confident smile on her face as she rushed Pamo. The spirit tensed his body up, and jumped back as Hiili took a swing with her hook. He managed to dodge the swing, and lunged forward, jabbing towards her side. The moki twisted her body, dodging the jab and bringing her hook back down, smacking it against his back.

Pamo let out a cough as he was thrown to the ground, quickly regaining his bearings and rolling away as Hiili swung at him again. He stumbled to his feet, hastily stepping back to dodge another swing. He ducked under another swing and made to rush Hiili, only for the moki to drop her weapon and take a step forward, punching him in the face.

Pamo reeled backwards, falling down as he clutched his face. Hiili took the moment of distraction to grab her weapon and swing it around, settling it right next to Pamo’s head. The spirit coughed and put his hands up. “I forfeit,” he said, wincing slightly.

“Hiili of Niwen is the victor, by forfeit of her opponent!”

Hiili grabbed her opponent’s hand, pulling him up before smoothing back the tuft of fur on her head. “Good fight! No ability, huh?”

“No, I’m afraid not,” Pamo grumbled. “That’s a mean weapon you’ve got there. Glad it was dulled down.” Hiili let out a laugh as the two left the arena, the next competitors taking their place.

On one side stood Mali, hopping over cheerfully. She seemed to radiate happiness and wore a crown of flowers on her head, which combined with her short stature and bright smile caused her to give off a non-threatening presence. On the other side stood Io, who possessed the typical bushy tail and fur of Altum’s spirits. He stood slightly taller than usual, and held his spear tightly, already standing in a cautious position. The announcer looked to the two spirits, then cupped their hands around their mouth.

“Ready… fight!”

Mali summoned a pair of shields for each of her arms and slowly began approaching Io. The Altumi spirit did the same thing, his spear kept close to his body, prepared to strike at any moment. The two eyed each other carefully as they slowly neared striking range of each other.  
  
The instant Mali was in range of Io’s spear, the Altumi spirit jabbed out towards her stomach. Mali blocked it quickly, rapidly blocking each of the jabs Io tried to take at her. At a particularly weak one, she flicked her arm forward, knocking the spear away and allowing her a swing at Io. The Altumi spirit didn’t quite manage to dodge the blow, and was barely nicked by the edge of the shield.

Io backed up, regaining his balance and readjusting his grip on his spear. He began to circle around Mali, trying to look for any possible openings he could exploit. He lunged forward and took a jab which she blocked, then backed up before she could counterattack. He went back to evaluating his options, then tensed up as Mali pulled back one of her arms.

Mali threw her arm forward, the shield on it flying off and directly at Io. The Altumi spirit was unable to react in time, and was nailed straight in the head with it, knocking him out cold. The announcer looked at him for a few seconds before arriving at a verdict as a pair of healer spirits rushed over to the unconscious spirit.

“Mali of Nibel is the victor, by incapacitation of her opponent!”

Mali rushed over to the healer spirits, concern clear on her face. “He’s going to be okay, right? I didn’t overdo it?”

“He’ll be just fine,” one of the healers said. The dark wolf from earlier suddenly lurched into view, looking down at Io with what appeared to be an expression of sadness. The wolf lowered their body down, allowing the healers to rest Io on their back, before they all exited the arena.

With the first half of round one completed, the announcer walked up to the gathered crowd. “Now, for the second half of round one! First will be Fir of Altum against Ipo of Niwen, then Tehlan of Niwen against Lelu of Niwen, followed by Ulen of Niwen against Kama of Noiton, and ending round one with Lavi of Noiton against Fae of Altum! We ask that the next competitors please enter the arena!”

Fir and Ipo both walked into the bounds of the arena, preparing for their match. Fir possessed the usual traits of an Altumi spirit, though he had noticeably shorter fur than usual, alongside a small bag tied around his waist. On the other side, Ipo possessed a long, slightly bushy tail, and a ring of bushier fur around her neck. She had red markings on her cheeks and the ends of her ears, and wore metal greaves and wrist guards alongside a welding mask. A confident expression was present on her face, and she flipped her mask down as the announcer confirmed that they were ready.  
  
“Ready… fight!”

Both competitors rushed each other, Ipo summoning her Spirit Smash and Fir grabbing a handful of dust from his bag. Ipo took a heavy downward swing, hitting her Spirit Smash against the ground and causing a wave of fire to shoot forward. Fir jumped and opened his Spirit Swoop, using the updraft created by the fire to gain height on his opponent.

Fir glided through the air for a moment, before a searing heat suddenly came into form on his back. He dropped the Spirit Swoop with a yelp, quickly reactivating it just before he hit the ground. He landed just before Ipo while the burning spread across his back, and rolled under a sideways swing of Ipo’s Spirit Smash. Fir hopped up and flicked his hand forward, opening it up and tossing the dust within into Ipo’s face.

Ipo growled as the dust clouded up her vision, and coughed as a harsh burning began to spread down her throat. She tried to use her heat manipulation to stop it, but to no avail. Ipo tried to work through the burning, dematerializing her Spirit Smash and summoning her Spirit Lash instead. She took a few wild swings of the whip-like construct, but failed to hit her target at all.

On Fir’s end, he had managed to gain a large amount of distance from Ipo, but still hadn’t managed to stop the burning on his back, which had spread even further. For a few moments, it was a simple matter of which competitor would give out to the pressure first. Fir, after a few more seconds of failed attempts to put out what was now clearly fire, let out a shout. “I forfeit, I forfeit!”

“Ipo of Niwen is the victor, by forfeit of her opponent!”

Ipo was quick to set out the fire on Fir’s back with a flick of her wrist, running over to the now calming down spirit. “ _Help me.”_

“Okay, okay, calm down,” he squeaked, rummaging around in his bag. He pulled out a bottle full of water and handed it to Ipo, who quickly downed it. She let out a couple of heavy breaths, coughing slightly. “Sorry, I didn’t know you would have such a bad reaction to it!”

“It’s okay,” Ipo mumbled, walking out of the arena and over to a pair of healer spirits with Fir.

The next combatants took their place, Tehlan on one end and Lelu on the other. Tehlan had light brown fur, with a green sash wrapped around his body. He held a long staff in his hands, and sported a sneaky grin on his face. Lelu stood on the other side, sporting similar brown fur to Tehlan, but with white patterns also present. He held a flimsy looking staff in his hands, and a determined look in his eyes. The two Moki locked eyes, and exchanged small nods.

“Ready… fight!”

Tehlan spun his staff around cheerily, and it seemed to shift into a smaller form, adorned with small holes. Lelu charged at Tehlan, his staff raised in preparation to strike. Just as he reached his opponent and was about to swing, Tehlan raised one end of the transformed staff to his mouth, and blew into it as hard as he could.

A shrill blast of noise emitted from what now was apparent as being a flute, and Lelu stumbled back and fell down, dropping his staff and clutching his ears with a whimper. Tehlan spun the flute with a snicker, the rod of wood morphing back into a staff. He raised it above himself, and brought it down to smack Lelu in the side. The other moki let out another whimper, and backed up a bit. “I give up!”

“Tehlan of Niwen is the victor, by forfeit of his opponent!”

Tehlan walked up to his opponent, wincing slightly as he stuck a hand out to his fellow moki. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you that much.”

Lelu accepted Tehlan’s help hesitantly, letting himself be pulled to a standing position. “N-no worries friend, just wasn’t prepared for something that… loud.” The two departed from the bounds of the arena, a healing spirit coming up to them as they exited.

Next to enter were Ulen and Kama. Ulen had pale white fur with maroon markings around light blue eyes. He held a knife in one hand, determination clear in his eyes. Opposite him, Kama possessed many of the traits present in most Noiton spirits, though her ears were more pointed and she had noticeably longer fur. She also had a quiver slung around her, and three armbands on her right arm. The two combatants stared each other down, waiting for the match to begin.

“Ready… fight!”

Ulen charged forward with a snarl, his knife ready to slash. Kama began backing up and summoned her Spirit Arc, letting loose shot after shot at the charging moki. Ulen managed to dodge the majority of them, though a couple of them managed to graze him, drawing a hiss from the moki but not slowing him down.

Ulen eventually reached Kama and began wildly slashing with his knife, causing her to back up faster in order to avoid them. Ulen lunged forward with a stab, forcing Kama to jump back. 

Kama suddenly realized how close she was getting to the edge of the arena, and began trying to maneuver her way around Ulen in order to escape before he forced her out of bounds. She tried running around him, and was met with Ulen’s knife inches in front of her face as he lunged to stop her. Kama ducked down and tried to run under the knife, and Ulen slashed it downwards, lightly cutting her back.

Despite the cut, Kama managed to get past Ulen, and began running away from him while blindly firing behind her. She winced and slowed down every few steps though, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to outrun him. Taking a desperate last attempt, Kama jumped and spun around, loading a shot into her Spirit Arc. She took careful aim and fired, managing to hit Ulen straight in the arm holding his knife before he could react.

Ulen let out a shout of pain and fell down, dropping his knife in the process. He attempted to scramble back to his feet, but gave a cry of pain as he leaned on his hurt arm. He looked up to see that Kama had already loaded another shot into her Spirit Arc, and that she was aiming it straight at him. Ulen gave a sigh and looked down, a scowl crossing his face. “I forfeit,” he said.

“Kama of Noiton is the victor, by forfeit of her opponent!”

Kama dematerialized her Spirit Arc and walked over to her opponent, helping him to stand up. “That was a good fight,” she said. “You’re pretty fast.”

“Thank you,” Ulen grumbled, though his expression soon lightened up a bit. “Good fight to you too. You’re a really good shot.” The two walked out into the viewing area, a pair of healers coming over to help them.

The last competitors of round one entered the arena, both prepared to fight. On one side was Lavi, who was similar in appearance to most Noiton spirits, except for his slightly longer ears and being taller and skinnier than usual. He wore a rain hat and tough boots, and had a quiver and bow slung around him. Across from him was Fae, an Altumi spirit with the usual thick fur and bushy tail, though she seemed to be noticeably short. She held a slingshot, and twirled the straps around while she waited for the match to begin.

“Ready… fight!”

Fae rushed forward, picking up a rock and loading it into her slingshot. She jumped to the side to dodge an incoming arrow, and fired the rock towards Lavi, forcing him to move. Fae continued her advance, picking up and loading another rock as she ran. Lavi shot another arrow at her, backing up to try and keep distance between the two for as long as possible.

Fae dodged the arrow and took another shot, using a small burst of air to make the rock shoot faster. The added speed made Lavi unable to dodge the rock, and he grunted in pain as it hit him in the shoulder. He made to load another arrow onto his bow, but hissed as the pain in his shoulder flared up. Lavi dropped his bow and grabbed an arrow with his good arm, charging at his opponent.

Fae smirked and scooped up another rock, loading it and waiting as Lavi got closer. Once he was close enough that he wouldn’t be able to dodge, she shot the rock from the slingshot, hitting him in the chest. Lavi grunted and stumbled but continued on, soon getting within range of Fae.

Lavi jabbed at Fae with the arrow in his hand, and she hastily sidestepped it. Fae quickly grabbed another rock, loaded it, lined up her shot and fired. Lavi tried to dodge, but the pain in his chest slowed him down, and the rock hit him in the leg. He stumbled to the ground, and laid there in defeat. “I forfeit,” he said.

“Fae of Altum is the victor, by forfeit of her opponent!”

Kama rushed over to Lavi, helping him up and assisting him in getting to the healers faster. “That was a good fight,” she said, “sorry you lost so early.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Lavi replied as the healers reached them. “Good luck with the rest of the tournament.”

“Thank you,” she said with a nervous laugh, looking around at the other competitors. “I… think I might need it.”


	3. Round Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited by RiskoZoSlovenska (Thank you a ton Risko!)

The announcer spirit walked up in front of the group of tournament participants and cleared their throat.

“Now that round one is over, we will announce the matches for round two! The first match will be Shumi of Niwen against Fae of Altum, followed by Reyn of Nibel against Ipo of Niwen, then Hiili of Niwen against Kama of Noiton, and ending round two with Mali of Nibel against Tehlan of Niwen! We ask that the first competitors please enter the arena!”

Shumi and Fae both walked into the arena, eyes locked. They both entered fighting stances, Shumi setting one foot behind the other, and Fae crouching in preparation to start running.

“Ready... fight!”

Shumi shot a Light beam at Fae, who quickly dodged, rushed forward and picked up a rock. She loaded it into her slingshot and fired, but Shumi intercepted it midair with another beam of light. Fae grabbed another stone as she got within a comfortable range of Shumi, carefully hopping around incoming shots of Light, patiently waiting for an opening. Once one presented itself, she let the rock fly towards Shumi, aiming for her shoulder.

As the rock careened towards her, Shumi pulled back her hand, her flail forming within it. With a flick of her hand, the chain let out a loud snap as the ball shot forward, nailing the rock and deflecting it away. She reeled her weapon back in, slowly spinning it around in a circle at her side.

Shumi pulled her hand back once more before flicking it at Fae. The flail's chain extended far beyond what seemed to be its initial reach as the spiked ball at its end soared straight for Fae, hitting her squarely in the chest. Shumi dissipated her weapon and jerked her hand up, shooting yet another laser of Light that hit Fae in the head and knocked her to the ground with a pained gasp. She attempted to struggle to her feet, before giving up with a sigh.

“I forfeit.”

“Shumi of Niwen wins the first match of round two, by forfeit of her opponent!” the announcer declared, throwing a hand into the air.

Shumi walked over to Fae and pulled her to her feet, letting the other spirit rest on her shoulder. “That was a good match,” Shumi complimented. “You are a formidable warrior.”

Fae shook her head, a downcast look crossing her face. “What are you talking about? I didn’t get a single hit on you, and you beat me in two strikes.”

“That doesn't make you any worse of a fighter,” Shumi said. “You would have had a massive advantage if you had hit me in the shoulder, and there is a perfectly good chance you would have won, given more time to prepare.”

Fae looked at her opponent for a moment before smiling. “Thank you, Shumi. I wish you good luck in the rest of the tournament.” The Niwenian spirit smiled back, as healers came over to assist them.

Reyn and Ipo walked over onto the field, both glaring at each other murderously.

“I’m going to beat you for beating up Cadin,” Ipo snarled, a flare of anger and hatred visible in her eyes.

“I’m not going to lose to you,” Reyn growled back. “I’ve got a much better reason to win than you do.”

The announcer spirit looked between the two competitors and took a step back, a nervous look on their face.

“Ready... fight!”

Ipo flicked her hands up, and a massive column of fire shot up from the ground where Reyn stood. She smirked triumphantly, then gasped as Reyn charged out from the fire, smoke and flames billowing off of their body. She began to launch repeated blasts of fire towards Reyn as they ran at her, but the blazes failed to slow down the incoming attacker.

Ipo materialized her Spirit Smash as Reyn got within range, and took a hefty swing at them. The hammer slammed into Reyn, knocking the breath out of them and sending them flying backwards. They skidded to a halt some distance away, letting out a cough of pain. Despite the blow, they managed to quickly get back on their feet and charge at Ipo once more. She swung at them again, but this time Reyn managed to dodge the blow. They lunged forward and grabbed Ipo, hitting the side of her head with enough force to throw her to the ground. They hopped onto her and started repeatedly punching her face, before finishing up with a solid headbutt. When they stood up - fire still scorching their fur - Ipo was knocked out cold.

Ashes coated the grassy battlefield, and smoke poured into the sky while Kainari spirits rushed around with buckets of water to try and douse the scorching field as quickly as possible. Medic spirits rushed to help Ipo and Reyn, attempting to put out the fires which covered Reyn and heal the nasty injuries both fighters had sustained. 

The announcer spirit stood silent for a moment, clearly shocked, before they managed to regain their voice. “Um... Reyn of Nibel is the victor, by incapacitation of their opponent.” They turned around to the shocked crowd. “Ah, please give us a moment to… clean up all of this.”

The members of the crowd began to murmur to each other, watching as the arena was put out. Reyn had been extinguished and was being pulled over by a pair of healers, while the still unconscious Ipo was carried away.

Cadin rushed to Ipo’s side, worry clearly visible on his face. “Is she alright? She’s going to be okay, right? She’s not too badly hurt?”

One of the healers put their hand on Cadin’s shoulder. “Calm down, friend. She’ll be fine, she just needs a bit of Regeneration. She’s in good hands; we’ll fix her up quickly.” Cadin nodded, but stayed near, keeping his eyes on Ipo.

Mali ran up to Reyn the second the medics let her, pulling them into a hug. “Why would you do that?” she whispered, tears welling in her eyes. “Both of you got hurt so badly! What made you think that was a good idea?”

“I had to,” Reyn growled. “I’m not letting Rocal die.”

“But-”

They pushed Mali away, a scowl covering their face. “I’m not arguing with you about this, Mali!” The shorter spirit backed up in fear, cowering away from Reyn. “I’m not going to let Rocal be in pain for a second longer, understand? And if you and your stupid flowers get in my way, I’m not going to let you win.”

Mali stared at them for a second as the tears in her eyes slowly grew, fear and anger both shining in her expression. She spun around suddenly, running away as fast as she could. Reyn growled again, before turning around to try and hide the regret that had begun to seep into their eyes.

The arena was soon cleaned up, and the next pair of combatants - Hiili and Kama - entered. They exchanged nervous looks, readying their weapons and taking battle-ready stances.  
  
“Ready... fight!”

Kama readied her Spirit Arc and loaded an arrow with a rounded tip as Hiili ran towards her. She let the arrow fly, hitting the ground directly in front of her moki opponent. The arrowhead burst open the instant it hit the ground, creating a large cloud of smoke directly in Hiili’s face, prompting gasps of surprise from the crowd. Kama took the opportunity to roll to the side, slipping out of her opponent’s immediate line of sight.

Hiili stumbled out of the smoke cloud with a cough, looking around to try and find where Kama had gone. Her ears perked up as she heard a faint _twang_ to her side, and ducked just in time to avoid an arrow that flew right over her head. Hiili snapped her head in the direction it came from, leaning to the side to avoid another shot. The moki smirked and began running once more, holding her bush hook confidently.

Hiili continued to dodge incoming arrows as she closed the distance, trying to run as fast as she could while still being able to avoid the attacks. Eventually, Kama was within her reach, and Hiili took a wild swing towards the spirit’s midsection. Kama tried to jump back, but wasn’t quite fast enough as the blade’s edge barely nicked her.

Kama hissed in pain and dissipated her Spirit Arc, then grabbed something which hung loosely around her armbands - a bola. Hiili took another swing, but Kama jumped back as far as she could and threw the bola at Hiili. It wrapped around her legs, violently slamming her into the ground. She desperately tried to free herself, but was too tangled up to do so quickly. Wasting no time, Kama rapidly reformed her Spirit Arc, loaded an arrow and aimed it directly at Hiili.

The moki froze, then sighed and leaned her head back in defeat.

“I forfeit.”

“The victor is Kama of Noiton, by forfeit of her opponent!”

Kama helped Hiili untie the bola, and the two exchanged smiles before exiting from the arena. Once they were out of the ropes’ bounds, Kama walked over to Lavi, leaning close to him. “I thought that arrow was supposed to explode,” she hissed.

Lavi chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. “I-I mean, it did explode... just not-” The expression on his face twisted faster than any arrow could fly, turning into one of sadness. “No, you’re right. It failed.”

Kama sighed and put a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, I was joking. It was great, trust me. I’m pretty sure I would have lost without it.” She gave him a sincere smile, which he couldn’t help but return.

Once the previous competitors had left the arena, Tehlan entered with a cheery smile on his face. He looked around for his opponent, and his smile slowly faded as Mali entered the field as well. Her eyes were red, and she looked extremely agitated as she came to stand opposite him. Tehlan tightened his grip on his flute; he had a bad feeling about this.

“Ready... fight!”

The instant the match began, Mali formed a shield on her arm, pulled it back, and threw it at Tehlan as hard as she could. He yelped and ducked, the Light construct grazing his ears. Seeing another shield flying straight at him, he broke in a run.

Tehlan’s ears twitched as he heard Mali running at him, and he quickly blew a sharp note into his flute. Mali flinched but kept running, shields glinting on both of her arms. Tehlan morphed his instrument into a staff and jabbed at Mali, trying to maintain the distance between them. She growled and smacked at the staff, batting it away and giving herself an opening to rush in and slash Tehlan with the side of her shield, creating a thin slash along his chest.

Choking in pain, Tehlan turned to run away from Mali, dodging her attempt at grabbing him. He shifted his staff into a blowpipe and loaded a dart into it, before whirling around and shooting it at her. It hit her in the arm with a sting, but she pulled it out almost immediately, throwing the dart to the side. Tehlan turned and started running again, nimbly dodging despite the cut on his chest.

As he ran away, Mali’s movements began to slow, and her throws became weaker. Soon, she stumbled forward with her eyes half-open. Tehlan stopped running and looked back as she yawned and fell forward, asleep.

The announcer looked at her for a moment, astonished, and then shrugged. “The winner is Tehlan of Niwen, by incapacitation of his opponent!”

Tehlan walked over to his resting opponent, lifted her with a bit of difficulty, and slung her onto his back, carrying her over to the healers who stood outside the arena. “Just something to put her asleep, don’t worry.” One of the healers nodded and took her from his hands, while the other began healing the slash across his chest.

Tehlan looked around at the other three remaining competitors, a nervous grin on his face. _No more messing around,_ he thought. _Gotta be careful_.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edited by RiskoZoSlovenska (Thank you a ton Risko!)

A bright grin spread across the announcer spirit’s face as they clapped their hands together. “Now for the semi-finals! The first match will be Shumi of Niwen against Tehlan of Niwen, followed by Reyn of Nibel against Kama of Noiton! The winners of these two matches will then compete in the final round to decide the winner of the tournament as a whole!”

The crowd cheered as the first competitors walked onto the field, Tehlan holding his blowpipe somewhat confidently while Shumi took a battle stance.

“Ready... fight!”

The moment the match began, both competitors raised their hands simultaneously. Shumi pointed her finger and shot two quick beams of light aimed at Tehlan’s chest. The moki dived to the side, both shots barely missing him. He jumped onto his feet, took aim and fired a dart at Shumi. She was quick to sidestep it, lowering her arm as she did so. 

She put her thumb and middle finger together, then swung her arm up, separating the fingers at the peak of her swing. Another laser of Light fired from in between her fingers, this one significantly larger than previous shots. Tehlan yelped in surprise and threw himself to the side, but the incoming beam still managed to brush against his side. His fur burst into flames at the points of contact and fire began to rapidly spread across his body.

The moki shouted in panic, rolling around on the ground to put out the fire. Shumi used the moment to charge Tehlan, summoning white flames into the form of a staff as she did so. Tehlan put out the flames, rolled into a standing position and shifted his blowpipe into a staff just in time to catch a blow from Shumi.

They traded blows for several moments, Shumi spinning her staff and attempting to hit Tehlan from awkward angles that he still managed to block. The moki smirked and smacked away one of Shumi’s attacks, taking the opening to jab her in the stomach.

She coughed, then grinned as she grabbed Tehlan’s staff before he could pull it away. Dissipating her own staff, she pointed her fingers at his chest and fired another blast of Light.

Tehlan’s eyes widened for a split second before the blast forced the staff out of his hands and sent him flying. He skidded across the ground, slowly coming to a stop. For a moment, he lay there coughing and attempting to get up, but was unable to force himself through the pain. With a defeated sigh, he resigned.

“I forfeit.”

“Shumi of Niwen is the victor by forfeit of her opponent, and is the first of our two final competitors!”

Shumi walked over to Tehlan and helped him into a sitting position, waiting for medics to come over and help. “I’m sorry if I put a bit too much force into that,” she said.

“Oh, don’t you worry!” Tehlan replied, almost cheerfully. “I’m more worried for whoever’s going to have to fight you in the finals!”

Shumi frowned as she looked over to the crowd. “I am as well,” she whispered, just as a pair of medics reached the two of them.

Once Tehlan and Shumi were off the field, Reyn and Kama walked on, keeping some distance between each other. Kama glanced over at Reyn with scared eyes, but they did not return her gaze. Their eyes, full of cold determination, were locked ahead.

“Ready... fight!”

Wasting no time, Kama loaded three Light arrows into her bow and fired at the already-charging Reyn. They rolled under the shots, undeterred, and quickly regained the speed they lost.

Seeing that her first attempt had failed, Kama snatched a bola off of her wrist, throwing it at Reyn as hard as she could. She gasped in horror as they quickly maneuvered around the weapon, letting it fly by them harmlessly. She hurriedly grabbed a second bola, this time aiming for their arms. The weapon met true, wrapping Reyn’s arms up.

A squeak of terror escaped from Kama as they didn’t stop to try and untie themself, instead continuing to charge at her. She attempted to remake her Spirit Arc, but realised she wouldn’t have nearly enough time. She stopped forming the weapon and threw her hands in the air.

“I-I forfeit, I forfeit!”

“Reyn of Nibel is the victor by forfeit of their opponent, and is the second of our two final competitors!”

Kama cautiously approached Reyn, quickly freeing their arms from the bola. The two walked off of the field, healers quickly coming over to them. The crowd shuffled around in excitement for a few minutes, until the medics finished their job and the announcer moved to stand in front of the crowd.

“Now, for the final match! Shumi of Niwen against Reyn of Nibel!”

The two spirits walked onto opposite sides of the field, turning to face each other. Reyn had a glare across their face, and settled into a ready position.

Shumi on the other hand held a calm expression. She looked at the crowd, spotting the now awake but still drowsy Mali standing towards the back, looking away from the fight. She saw all of her fellow competitors, who had come here aiming for something. She turned back to Reyn, and frowned at the angry look they had. She saw all of the relentless determination in their eyes, and she made up her mind.

“Ready... fight!”

Reyn charged forward, running as fast as they could towards their opponent. Shumi didn’t move from where she stood, as she held her arms out to her sides. She closed her eyes and inhaled, keeping her hands open.

Just as Reyn cleared half the distance between the two, Shumi opened her eyes and closed her hands, the flame between her horns shining brightly. There was a distortion in the air around Reyn, and they suddenly stumbled forwards. They fell to their knees as their eyes became unfocused, and they started to shiver uncontrollably. Their breathing became more shallow, and they curled up on themself.  
  
Every single one of the onlookers watched in shock at what happened to Reyn. The announcer took a few moments to regain their bearings, then waited a couple seconds to make sure Reyn was no longer able to fight before speaking.  
  
“Shumi of Niwen is the victor of the final match by incapacitation of her opponent, and is the victor of the Tournament of the Forests!”

Shumi let out a sigh and dropped her arms back to her sides. She walked up to the still shivering Reyn and put her hands on their shoulders. Her fire shone once again, and they slowly seemed to return to normal.

Reyn looked up at her for a moment. Tears began to well up in their eyes, and they started muttering to themself. “No, no no no no no no no...” Shumi pulled them into a hug, as two medics came over. Reyn’s crying worsened, and slowly morphed into choked sobs as they broke down.

Footsteps came up to the small group, and Mali kneeled down on the ground. Shumi let go of Reyn and let the other spirit embrace them, Mali slowly joining Reyn in crying. “I’m sorry,” Reyn sobbed. “I-I’m so sorry Mali. I was so mean to you an-nd I’ve b-been so cruel and I _still_ lost. I ruined ev-everything Mali. I-I-”

Mali rubbed their back, hugging them tightly. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “I forgive you Reyn. I forgive you.” Their sobs worsened even further, and tears began to fall from Mali’s eyes. “I forgive you Reyn.”

Shumi looked at the announcer as they walked over to her.”Well Shumi, as you are the victor of the tournament, what is your request?”

Shumi didn’t hesitate for even a moment to speak. “My request is that all of the other competitors be allowed to make their requests.”

The announcer blinked in surprise. “Are you entirely certain?”

She nodded. “I am completely certain.”

The spirit looked at her for a moment before smiling. “Very well then. It will be done.”

* * *

“Thank you,” Reyn choked out, hugging Shumi as tightly as they could. “Thank you so, so much.”

“Don’t mention it,” she said. “It was the right thing to do.”  
  
“Still,” they chuckled weakly. “I can’t possibly thank you enough.”

Mali stepped forward, a bag full of medicine in her hands and a crown made from rare flowers perched on her head. “Neither of us can. We owe you so much.”

She shook her head, smiling softly. “You owe me nothing. Just make sure that medicine gets to whoever needs it.” The two nodded and gave her another round of thanks, before walking away. Their trip back to Nibel would be a long one.

Shumi looked around at all of the other participants, who were talking excitedly among each other. There was Tehlan holding a basket full of some rare plant, teasing Hiili and Ulen for both having the idea to try and win a rare ore to make each other a new weapon. She saw Lelu, already using the particularly sturdy wood he had asked for to try and make new, more durable toys.

Shumi watched Io weaving together a large bundle of fibers he had asked for to make himself and Quoro blankets; she saw Lavi’s bundle of odd bits to try and make new arrows for Kama, and the book that he was reading which Kama had asked for, titled ‘Coping with Trauma’. Far from the others, Chro and Pamo sat together, reading books on painting that they had asked for.

Shumi saw Ipo and Cadin standing together happily chatting with each other, bags holding ore sitting on the ground next to them. Towards the edge of the group, Fir hummed happily to himself while he sorted through the rare Kainari spices that he had asked for. She watched Fae jump off of a hill and glide through the air on a hang glider made from materials she asked for.

Shumi saw so much good in the world, and she was happy.


End file.
